Central Valley board continues tuition policy

Sunday

ILION — The Central Valley school board will not change its tuition policy for out-of-district students this year, but the board does plan to take another look at it.

The tuition charge was discussed during Thursday’s meeting of the school board.

The school currently charges out-of-district residents yearly tuition of $1,279 per student for grades 7-12; children in grades K-6 are not charged a fee, according to Superintendent Jeremy Rich.

He said it was up to the board to decide whether to continue the current policy or revise it. He pointed out keeping track of residents who move in and out of the district is challenging for district personnel. Sometimes children are moving back and forth between parents under court-ordered custody arrangements. Even if a child lives part of the time with a parent who resides in the district, that parent’s home might not be considered the child’s primary residence.

The school was closed to those outside the district immediately after the merger of the Mohawk and Ilion districts, but the board later adopted a tuition policy for students who do not live in the district, but want to attend school here, according to Rich. Some families pay the tuition fee, but others do not. If a parent who is paying tuition blows the whistle on one who does not, the district has to investigate the allegation.

"It takes time to do that," he said.

Prior to the merger, local school districts had an open acceptance policy for non-resident students, according to Business Manager Kenneth Long. At one point some 58 to 60 Ilion students were attending Herkimer and 58 to 60 Herkimer residents were attending school in Ilion. The policy at the time was to allow out-of-district residents to attend as long as class sizes were not affected.

District Clerk Marsha Griffith said the number of Mohawk students attending Ilion and Ilion students attending Mohawk was also similar. Academic performance, attendance and behavior were among the considerations in accepting students; they were required to obey the school’s code of conduct.

Board member Travis Costin said he liked the idea of closed enrollment because it might encourage people to buy houses in Ilion or Mohawk.

The date for families to reapply to admit non-resident students is Aug. 1, Griffith said.

Frances LaPaglia, director of elementary education and human resources, pointed out that only district children can attend Central Valley’s full-day pre-kindergarten class.

"Until this year, we always had a waiting list," she said. "Full-day pre-kindergarten is very enticing to parents."

According to the state website, the district could charge as much as $4,229 per pupil, Long said.

Because of the approaching sign-up deadline, the board decided to leave the tuition policy and the tuition as is for the 2018-19 school year and discuss the matter further.

In other business

• The superintendent introduced Charles Pratt, the new middle school principal, and Jessica Bowman, who has been named assistant principal at the middle school.

• Student artwork is on display in several local businesses, according to Rich. He praised the art teachers for the time and effort they put in on this project. Artwork by Central Valley students is currently on display at True Value Hardware and the Moose River Coffee Shop in Ilion and at the Village Market in Mohawk.

• Questions were raised during the public session about cabinets and chalkboards at Jarvis Middle School that are not designated to be moved before the building is renovated. If they are attached to the wall, removal could involve asbestos abatement, according to James Humphrey, director of secondary education. There were also questions about how the items would be removed, where they could be stored and who might want them. Rich said he would look into the possibility of removing the cabinets.

• Board President Kelly Rowland said residents are using the track at Central Valley Academy despite signs and tape warning the area is a construction zone. She suggested posting larger signs.

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